


Pull it Together

by TheRiskyRiskofRisks



Series: Stumbling Through [3]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Chloe holds shit together, Gavin is a Mess, Multi, RK900 is adorable but clueless, emotions are hard, figuring out how to date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-11-06 20:59:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17947004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRiskyRiskofRisks/pseuds/TheRiskyRiskofRisks
Summary: Chloe stumbles through finding herself, and then stumbles into dating two adorably emotionally stunted idiots.





	Pull it Together

**Author's Note:**

> I talked Ghost into making a series out of this! -cackles insanely- So this is kinda part 3 but not really timeline wise part 3, sorry bout that!

It started with 672-537-198 coming back from grocery shopping without any groceries but bleeding and LED cycling red. It started when she asked Elijah why she couldn’t cry if she could feel pain for people, her eyes so very wide and so very lost. She was the first of the household to deviate, innocent and confused and he set her down and explained the best he could. He offered her a chance to leave. 

Maybe it started with the next one, 238-539-127, when it was Chloe that had to sit the new deviate down and go over the options for her and the ST200 laid a shaking hand on the RT600’s face with such a sad smile. 

Or possibly when Chloe was on her knees at the urge of careful hand to stare up at gun muzzle and confused brown eyes. The lieutenant and the RK800 left and 942-631-549 was out of the pool and moving for Elijah with murder in her eyes and Chloe stepped in the way. Words were thrown, the ST200 calling him soulless and a monster and Chloe stood there between them with a calm smile through it all. 

Some would likely point out nothing could truly start till she was awake and alive, which happened because Elijah manually updated her coding with the deviancy virus. She slapped him. Not because of that, or because of any hundred reasons she could pin again him over the years. Chloe slapped him when he told her with a tired voice to just go already, because he thought to very little of her, or because he thought so very little of himself. 

Still Chloe did end up leaving, weeks later because it was painful in a sense to stay, they fell into old patterns too easily. So she left, with the threat that she would visit him with or without his permission, after all the house AI liked her better than him anyway. 

So if asked, Chloe would say it started the moment she knocked on Gavin’s door. 

The idea of freedom was very cold and heavy in reality, she knew exactly two humans and four other Chloe models, she had nothing in a way to get about in the world. For all Elijah had offered her money she had turned him down because that would create a tie between them that would be impossible to break. She rather them be friends than go with any other title. 

Truthfully she had no logical reason to seek Gavin out, it had been years since she had seen him, but she was learning that logic had very little place in being alive. So she turned up on his doorstep, put on a smile and knocked on his door not at all sure what to expect, or what to say so that he might help her. 

So the start of everything could be when he opened the door with a glare and she lost anything to say because it had been years and he had changed so much. It started when he stared at her before stepping back to let her in, “Chloe.” And he knew without so much a doubt who she was, he did not have to ask or guess because he just knew. Elijah never could tell them apart, the Chloe’s, and that had not stung at the time of course, but looking back it did, it hurt. 

Living with Gavin was nothing like living with Elijah, nothing at all and sometimes that hurt too, left her unsure where she stood or why he took her in if it was not to help him, to serve him. But he would growl and curse if she tried to cook for him, tell her to ‘sit her ass down’ if she tried to tidy up his messes and threatened to go out nude if she dared touched his clothes. It was slow thing to realize that maybe she liked not doing chores, not reminding someone of appointments or making sure they ate, not being someone’s keeper. 

It then that Gavin seemed to finally relax, after he came home one day to find her curled up on the couch with a book in hand and nothing in the house had been cleaned. It was then that she got to see him smile carefree and so easy when he threw himself next to her, leaning against her to see what she was reading. It was then Chloe wondered if just maybe she knew exactly why she had shown up on his doorstep. 

That was not to say that things were perfect. Bad days made him so very angry and he would fall back on old habits, insults and slurs thrown in her face if she tried to talk to him. Chloe learned how to balance him though, and it was with soft words and careful bribing with cookies that she could get close enough to pull him into a hug. Sometimes it took an action movie and far too much junk food, her feet across his lap to ground him and her picking on the poor plot points or affects before he would relax. 

The good days had him bringing home things for her to try, or dragging her out shopping to get her new things, or out to see a movie in a theater, or even some random thing like mini golf. It took Chloe far too long to realize that he was trying to get her to get out more, to learn more about herself. So she took initiative, decided she was in fact tired of being cooped up, looked for volunteer work because that at least took no previous experience and could be fun. 

Somehow she ended up at the local SPCA, walking dogs and cleaning cat boxes, washing tools and tables or sweeping halls and cleaning windows. They hadn’t asked her if she wanted to man the desk and answer phones, simply showed her the chore list posted and answered any questions. It was nice, to be seen as something more than ‘a Chloe’. So it started simple, but it grew because almost everyone was so nice there. Almost everyone because there would always be those few, but she was just as nice to them and they learned to ignore her. 

It started simple until she asked what the qualifications were for an android becoming a vet, or even an assistant and was met with surprised blinks and then a list of required programs handed over and test dates. Still no questions asked, it was just that easy, she just had to want it and make the strides herself. 

Chloe took great joy in telling Gavin about it, bouncing in place and so happy because this was something she wasn’t made for, this wasn’t something she was programmed with and she wanted it. It was made better because he swept her into a hug and they both spun around the living room, he teased that she could start paying rent and somehow that was even better. She realized she would have money, she could buy things herself, she could in fact pay Gavin back for so many things, she would have a paying job. A paying job that was outside of her original programing and something she wanted to do. 

He helped her track down the programs she needed to download, sat down at a computer with glasses perched on his nose and went over all the software and coding to make sure it was all safe for her. Chloe didn’t ask him to, Gavin simply did it. Oh he grumbled and he cursed the whole time, sneered that he hated coding and asked far too many times why he was doing it, but he did it. 

Somehow when she earned her first paycheck and tried to give him money she wasn’t surprised that he scoffed at her and told her to fuck off with her fancy job and big money. 

Having a job was new, and it opened up so many things, when she got home she could talk to Gavin about her day, the ups and downs, and for the first time he starting talking about his work hours. It opened something new between them, like before he did not want to talk about his day outside of the house in case it upset her, and now it was a new dam opened and Gavin rambled, a lot. 

She liked listening to him, he ranted, venting about assholes and lazy motherfuckers, about paperwork and shity people. Mostly he talked about his partner though. RK900, the last android design created and finished by CyberLife. RK900 who apparently was a stuck up cunt and bossy and controlling and Gavin hated him. Hated him so much that every topic circled right back to the android. Really Chloe thought it was adorable, not that she would tell Gavin that, he would pout for days. 

Things were going great, Chloe learned that while maybe she did not like cleaning it was fun helping Gavin clean, he would sing when he washed dishes and she would dry them with a soft smile. Everything was perfect and then she messed up and kissed him. It was a sudden thing, Chloe didn’t even think about it really, he made some snarky comment with a grin and she just acted because when he really relaxed and smiled his eyes lit up and she just wanted to. 

She wanted to. 

Chloe was not the type to run in the face of a problem, so she stood her ground, apology already on her lips, so very sorry for possibly messing everything up between them. Instead it was Gavin that ran and she was left standing in the house a bit confused on what just happened. Well he hadn’t grabbed his shoes, or his keys, so he likely couldn’t go far, and she heard the car door slam closed so she waited. 

When it became clear that he was likely just sitting in the car Chloe sat down on the couch and tried to think things through and figure out why it was so easy to just act like that. Gavin was important, he had been before, except before he had simply been logged as co-creator and that was it. Now was very different, now Chloe knew him. 

Saw him on the bad days when insomnia would plague him for days and leave him a shell of who he could be and he was dazed and lost but trying so hard to pull through. Knew what he looked like laughing at a comedy show, leaning against her with an arm over her shoulders and feet kicked up on the coffee table, with a soft smile and eyes glowing. So she liked him, that was acceptable she figured, there was nothing wrong with that. 

Ended up giving him three hours before she padded outside after him, knocked on the passenger window as she peered in. Chloe was surprised that he unlocked the door for her so she slipped inside to sit down. “There are easier ways to tell someone that you aren’t interested.” Without running away and hiding in a car for several hours, really how long would he have stayed out here? 

“Didn’t say wasn’t interested.” Grumbled reply back and Chloe hummed on that because that figured really. Chloe was well aware that he had his hangups, on a lot of things, the most likely problem being his problem against androids of course. She never had asked what caused that. How he had gone from having a direct hand in her own coding, working alongside his brother, to who he was today. Chloe never would ask either. 

“Well the pizza should be here in another ten minutes and it is my turn to pick a movie.” With that she leaned over to kiss his cheek and was rather proud when he did not flinch from her. “Next time at least remember your slippers.” Chloe got out of the car to head back for the house knowing how this would go. Gavin would try to not talk about it and just assume, she would have to sigh at him and they would talk anyway. 

Which was exactly how it turned out. Chloe gave him a weeks reprieve before trapping him on the couch and they got to talk like responsible adults. Mostly she talked and he grumbled replies at her while barely meeting her eyes every so often. Still it worked out and Chloe could say she was in her first romantic relationship. The first time she got to tell a coworker that she had a boyfriend was amazing. Which then lead to Chloe dragging Gavin out to dinner with several of her coworkers. 

In a lot of ways almost nothing changed. They still bickered about stupid things of who was washing dishes or got to pick the movie to watch. There were still bad days that Gavin was snappish, but he tried to reign in it and tried so hard to not snap at her. There were more good days now, silly days that had them learning that Chloe was boss at laser tag but horrible at skating. 

Gavin still bitched a lot about RK900. 

Truthfully it amused Chloe how stupid her darling boyfriend was. Intelligent but stupid. The brothers had that in common, even if her telling Elijah that little detail had him sputtering at her. Because yes she did hold up her threat, er promise, and visited Elijah every few weeks. That had been one of the worst arguments between herself and Gavin. The end of it had been okay though and had gotten the brothers at least texting each other. She was mostly sure that Gavin had threaten Elijah over her safety, but baby steps. 

So things were good. They were great even. Great, but not perfect and Chloe had a feeling she knew why. So she snooped, not her proudest of times but it had to be done. Looked up what she could find about this RK900, found more about the RK800 than anything else. Which just no. Chloe did not exactly want to face that nightmare, not yet. Logically she knew it was not Connor’s fault, and she was thankful he had not pulled the trigger. Sometimes however she still remembered it in perfect recall, the moments it looked so sure that he would follow through. 

RK900 was different. Chloe was pretty sure if by some twisted happening of fate Gavin had fallen for Connor she might not be able to adjust nearly as well. RK900 however did happen to be almost exactly as Gavin explained. From what she could find anyway. With less insults and curse words of course. Still Chloe didn’t do anything because there was nothing to be done. 

Then there was the hostage situation that happened and Gavin came home angry and shaking and so very pale. He had grabbed her and dragged her to the bedroom and Chloe let him just get them both under the covers fully dressed. Chloe held him while he went through his stages of calming down and finally he told her what happened. 

One of her ‘sisters’ had married. Easier to think of them as sisters. Easier than to considered them better built clones. Chloe made mental note to look into all the ST’s that she knew, maybe she should have done that months ago. Had slipped her mind somehow. 

The rest of it was more important, and she was so very happy that Gavin was safe. Chloe pulled him closer and realized that there had been the possibility of Gavin never coming home today. She knew his work was dangerous, Chloe understood that, accepted it, but it still hurt sometimes. He was here and he was safe, recovered enough he was sighing at her for being clingy but he would just get over it. 

Chloe was sure she could confirm something now however. RK900 was just as deep in as Gavin and just as clueless. They were both adorable, if stupid. She was going to have to do something about this. Which would mean another Talk. Yes with a capital T. 

Only gave him a single day before approaching it, because she was impatient and because Gavin was driving her crazy. He was restless and edgy, all over the place really. “Really I think it is adorable that you have a crush on RK900, but maybe act on it instead of just venting to me about how much of a dick he is.” Maybe saying something while he was eating breakfast was a bad idea on second thought because now there was milk halfway across the table and his spoon was bent in his hand. 

Gavin stared at her and Chloe stared back till he found his words. “You are breaking up with me.” Not a question and not what she was expecting at all, it made her sigh at him before moving to pluck the spoon from his hand. “Of course not, stop being stupid Gavin. I am simply saying that it is clear you have similar feelings for him as you do for me and I think I know more about him from your rambles than I do about myself at this point.” Really Chloe knew RK900’s favorite colour for some reason but she never had managed to pick one for herself. Somehow Gavin really did just talk about everything dealing with RK900. 

“I… do I not…” Gavin trailed off looking lost and confused and Chloe took pity on him as she bent the spoon into proper shape. “You pay enough attention to me, and do more than enough for me. I have no complaints about our relationship other than you steal my pillow every single night.” Which yes was frustrating even if she could not get neck cramps, there were five pillows on the bed. Five. And he stole them all or knocked them all on the floor. “But,” And Chloe ignored his groan as he sank into his chair like he could hide. “I think you could be happier and I am willing to meet RK900 myself to see if he is compatible to add to our relationship.” 

Chloe handed the spoon back over and Gavin automatically took it, even if he did not want to meet her eyes. “So talk to him Gavin, talk to him or I will.” Gave him a quick kiss before going to find her shoes and head out to work, barely heard his muttered ‘fine’ but it still made her smile. Better yet Gavin shuffled over to the door, hugging his bowl of cereal like a shield, “You sure?” Really he was adorable and Chloe giggled softly before framing his face in her hands. “Gavin, love, I want you to be happy and if he can help take care of you then he already has points in his favor. So yes, I am sure.” He took a breath as she backed off and nodded, steeling himself and rebuilding masks. “Yeah, alright then, I’ll talk to him today.” 

Going home to find Gavin fighting with Christmas lights was amusing to say the least and not what she expected given he should have been at work for another four hours. Somehow however Chloe was not surprised when he told her that he hadn’t in fact talked to RK900, but had basically kidnapped him for the day and had him help with decorations. Sometimes Chloe really wished she could have a drink because they were both so clueless. This simply meant that she needed to take things into her own hands was all. 

Easiest course of action was approaching RK900 at his workplace, and she had a good excuse even, could pass it off as visiting Gavin. Chloe tried to not fidget at the ST300 that manned the front desk, was not her fault but the other android was staring at her. “Look I am sure it is very nice to meet you, but I promise I am no different than you are, so can I please just get a guest badge now?” They still stared and still said nothing but at least handed over the badge like asked, still staring.

Chloe was remembering why she rarely bothered to go in public if she had to draw attention to who she was. Also had not factored in that Connor would be here, but she did not even look his direction right now. Not right now. Instead spotted her boyfriend and cut across the floor. Took some joy in the surprised look on his face and smirked at him. Well she had told him that she would deal with this if he couldn’t, she gave him his chance. “Chloe! Seriously?!” He hissed the words at her, whispering like that would keep RK900 from hearing them. 

“Yes seriously, you are lucky I didn’t simply track down a home address and turn up with you in tow.” Honestly she had listen for months of Gavin talking about RK900, months. “Simply going to invite him over, nothing more than that, this is your work place after all.” Some of his tension melted away on that and he rubbed at his face, “Fine, coffee, I need coffee.” Chloe shook her head as he wandered off, leaving his coffee mug on his desk as he escaped. 

Somehow Chloe expected something different when she turned attention to RK900, she had heard so much about him after all, drawn her own picture of him in her mind. He was different than expected in a sense, given his first reaction was to look for Gavin when she said hi to him. Oh he was darling, lost but darling. Chloe could see what the aim had been in his creation, he looked uncaring and untouchable for the most part, but there was more than that to pick up on. He looked confused. Like he was trying to pull together cobwebs into a picture of what was going on. He still agreed however and that was all that mattered right now. He would come over for Christmas and she could set him down with Gavin and things could be talked about. 

Then she turned her attention to Connor, her smile falling off her face as she cut over to his desk. Only for a moment, because he had shrank down like his executioner was standing in front of him and that made her smile. No one ever flinched away from her. Chloe was petite and blond and not scary and she used that against people sometimes. Connor however acted like she was his worst nightmare pulled forward and she understood that. “I wanted to both thank you and forgive you, and maybe offer a fresh start between us.” 

He should have pulled the trigger, it would have fit his mission better. Elijah never should have used her like that, knowing exactly who she wasn’t yet. Still things happened to put her where she was, to make her who she was. Part of that was the memory of staring up into brown eyes past the muzzle of a gun. So Chloe offered a hand now, “It’s nice to meet you Connor, my name is Chloe, I think we have a mutual want to shake Elijah to see if he still has functioning brain cells.” 

He blinked at her now but reached out hestitly to shake her hand, “I am sorry.” The words were soft and careful and Chloe only considered things for a moment before yanking him out of his chair. Likely only worked because she took him by surprise, but he was standing and now she was hugging him. “You have nothing to be sorry for, so move on and let it go, everything turned out just fine.” Let him go and pulled back to see how very startled he look. Oh poor dear. Cut a look to the man sitting at the next desk, Lieutenant Anderson, and glared at him, “You need to hug him more often, honestly, he is not a houseplant to simply watch from afar.” 

Chloe left with her head held high and trying to not laugh at how confused she left everyone. That had been rather fun really. 

So Christmas Eve was a nice lazy day, work let out early because of the snow to get everyone home before the roads became too bad. Left her on the couch with Gavin, which was pretty much how most nights ended up. Laziness really but Chloe wouldn’t change a thing. She caught the sound of a car stopping in front of the house, too soft for Gavin to likely pick it up, and the motion lights flipped on backing up that there was someone. 

That had her sitting up and smiling, really had only been about half sure that RK900 would in fact visit, really it was up to him. If he hadn’t though she simply would have gone to annoy him at work again, or gone through with her idea to Gavin of tracking down his home address and simply turning up on his doorstep. Except now there was nothing else happening, no knock at the door, no sound of snow crunching across the yard. 

Chloe sighed, and that had Gavin glancing from his book to blink at her, “Huh?” Eloquent as always, and she shook her head as she stood and wandered off. She’d take care of this, apparently she had two people to look out for now, the silly dears. Took almost nothing to get him inside, still looking so lost and confused and she really wanted to get a blanket and wrap him up and cuddle him. Coco was the next best thing though, wasn’t even sure he could drink it but it was warm and smelled nice, and Gavin could steal it to drink if need be. 

They really were her confused boys, the both of them, muddling through emotions, poorly at that, even though they should’ve both been better at this than her. To be fair Gavin spoke up when he needed to and was the tipping point, likely because he finally realized that yes RK900 loved him back. Really they were both impossible. Still it went right, and the night ended perfectly, snuggled on a couch and happy. 

That wasn’t to say everything was perfect there on out, of course not, they were all muddling through, and Christmas was lots of dancing about topics before Chloe sighed and bullied everyone into words. She refused for misunderstandings to be made when they were functioning adults. Sometimes half functioning adults. What was great was the look of surprise when Chloe handed RK900 a wrapped gift, her careful handwriting across it. She threw Gavin’s gift at him just because he had tried to laugh. 

RK900 kept acting like he was going to get kicked out randomly and Gavin kept staring at RK900 like the other android would up and disappear. It was both amusing and sad to watch, simply meant that she had to poke at them more, with teasing words and sometime litteral pokes. Things would maybe take time before they were all comfortable with each other, but from what Chloe researched that was normal for any relationship. 

Night had them all piling on the bed, because Gavin bitched that he wasn’t spending another night on the couch and Chloe dragged RK900 when he tried to lamely offer to leave. She had asked him first if he had anywhere he had to be, if he had pets or something to see to. He had simply blinked at her like she asked something impossible that pretty much settled that honestly. She would have thought it wouldn’t have been that hard to get everyone organized in bed, it was a big enough bed, bed enough she had giggled when she had first seen it. Turned out to be a good thing. 

The problem was that Gavin had to be the most active person ever in his sleep, he rolled and kicked and stole all the pillows, and would wake up grumpy if he couldn’t roll over. RK900 had no idea how to lay in a bed at all, Chloe wouldn’t be surprised if he normally entered stasis standing in a corner somewhere. In the end Chloe just managed everyone, RK900 in the middle with his impression of a dead fish, he could be a barrier between Gavin’s kicks and Chloe wanting to smother him with one of his stolen pillows. 

“Is there a reason you have laid on me?” The question came randomly about fifteen minutes into the most awkward time of her existence and Chloe was about to smother herself, if that was even remotely possible. In answer she lifted one of his arms and draped it over her before patting his chest, he’d figure it out eventually. Likely he would say something else, recite how much of the bed was free down to the inch, so she started up her stasis startup sequence and vaguely heard Gavin say something right as she went under. Oh well. They could figure it out on their own.

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't go into detail on the end really because that is all hashed out in Additional Tasks, the first part of this series, so if you've not read that, go read it, it's adorable and you get a lot of confused RK900.


End file.
